HANSON — May 19, 2026 — In a emotionally charged public hearing that stretched late into the evening, the Hanson Select Board voted unanimously to re-up its order to humanely euthanize a ten-month-old Belgian Malinois named Boone. The decision came after harrowing testimony from multiple Birchbark Drive residents who recounted stealth street ambushes and an attack that left an eight-pound Maltese and its owner injured. Despite the dog owner’s tearful apologies and late-stage promises to move out of town, the board prioritized public safety, finding a clear pattern of negligence and unexecuted containment measures.
The Full Story
The public hearing was a remand from district court after a procedural glitch involving an earlier April 28 determination. The owners had appealed that initial ruling, claiming they never received the certified mail notices. This time, notice was served directly in hand, bringing all parties face-to-face in the crowded select board meeting room.
The session opened with a breakdown of multiple terrifying encounters detailed by neighbors. Resident Brian Simonelli recounted a shocking incident from April 13 on Birchbark Drive. Simonelli was walking his eight-pound Maltese when Boone materialized from behind, completely silent.
“This dog—it didn’t attack me, it ambushed me,” Simonelli testified, still visibly shaken. “It came up behind me... and before I knew it, it grabbed my dog right by the neck and picked my dog up... My instincts just took over so I literally got on the ground... and I put my hands in the dog’s mouth and I pulled its mouth open.”
